Get ready for Shark Week at the Maui Ocean Center

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Next week is Shark Week at the Maui Ocean Center where they’ll be having all kinds of events to better inform visitors about the importance of sharks in the underwater community. From a shark photo contest to separating fact from fiction about these misunderstood creatures to a shark sleepover at the park which includes a pizza party and morning pancake breakfast, Shark Week promises to be a great time to be on Maui!

Click here for the calendar of events and proper contact info.

International Year of the Reef 2008 at Maui Ocean Center

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Celebrate International Year of the Reef 2008 at Maui County’s Reef Night bash, on Sunday, June 22nd from 6-9:30pm. The theme of the event, and Maui County’s IYOR programs, is Ola Nâ Papa I Pûlama `Ia, Cherish the Living Reefs. Discover what’s going on under the surface of our oceans with over 20 exhibitors from local non-profits and eco-organizations. Enjoy live entertainment by Lei’ohu Ryder, the Abrigo ‘Ohana, Jason Sadang and more. Hear fascinating environmental and cultural presentations by Kimokeo Kapahulehua, Dr. Isabella Abbott, and a hauntingly beautiful demonstration of Hawaiian nose flute playing by Anthony Natividad. Additional activities will include a Pono…Do What Is Right! fashion show, professional and amateur invasive species cook-off, door prizes, photo wall, poster contest results and Ocean Awareness Training graduate recognition, all emceed by KPOA’s Alaka’i Paleka!

Food and beverages will be available for purchase. Admission is $16.00 for general adult, $13.00 for general child, $11.00 for kama’aina adult, $8.00 for kama’aina child - all prices include tax. Day admission receipt is not valid to attend Reef Night. A separate Reef Night admission ticket is required to attend the event.

Tickets may be purchased at ‘Ulalena Theatre in Lahaina; the Maui County Store in Maui Mall, Kahului; 9th Floor, Maui County Building in Wailuku and Maui Ocean Center’s Front Gate and Website.

Get some exercise and raise money this weekend!

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This Saturday marks the 30th annual Visitor Industry Charity Walk! If you’re going to be in Hawaii this weekend and want a great way to mingle with the locals, raise money and of course sample some ono grinds at checkpoints along the way, this is the event for you! The following comes courtesy of their official website:

When and where is the statewide Charity Walk?
The 30th Annual VISITOR INDUSTRY CHARITY WALK will take place on: Saturday, MAY 17, 2008 (Always the 3rd Saturday)
OAHU (6 miles)
McCoy Pavilion (Ala Moana Beach Park) at 7:00 amBIG ISLAND (4 miles)
Anaehoomalu Bay at Waikoloa at 7:45 am for Runners and 8:00 am for WalkersKAUAI (2.9 miles)
Historic County Building at 7:00 amMAUI (5 miles)
Maui War Memorial Park Soccer Field at 7:00 am

Who can participate in the statewide Charity Walk and how do I register?
ANYBODY CAN! You do not have to be a hotel employee, or a member of the Hawai‘i Hotel & Lodging Association, or part of the visitor industry to participate. Invite your family, friends, neighbors, co workers, clients, schools, clubs, visitors/tourists … to join us in a morning of fun, food, fabulous entertainment and a little exercise to help raise funds for Hawaii‘s local charities. All walkers on Oahu, Big Island, and Maui are required to have a minimum of $35 for adults and $25 for those under 18 years of age (regardless of age including infants); and Kauai has a minimum of $35 for all walkers regardless of age to be collected in donations to participate in the CHARITY WALK.

For a rundown of FAQ’s and more information on how you can join in the fun, go to their official website!

17th Annual Ka Hula Piko Festival on Molokai

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Time to make a side trip over to Molokai for the Ka Hula Piko Festival on May 15th-17th! Description courtesy of HVCB:

Join Molokai and the rest of Hawaii as we celebrate the 17th Annual Ka Hula Piko Festival at Papohaku Beach Park, Kaluakoi, Molokai from 9:00 am – 4:00pm. Admission is free. There will be a variety of entertainment, Hawaiian Food and hand made crafts by the people of Molokai.

A series of lectures will be presented by Halau Hula O Kukunaokala beginning Friday, May 16th from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Ku Lana O’Iwi Pavilion. Contact Louise Bush 808-553-3673 or call the Molokai Visitors Association at (808) 553-3876.

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May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii

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Happy Lei Day! If you’d like to know the origins of Lei Day, click the link below for a nice video on the origins:

Lei Day Video

(I was going to post the video but it starts automatically so you can watch it at your leisure) If you’re in Hawaii and you’d like to see if there’s a Lei Day celebration near you, click here and the first 7 events are Lei Day related.

(Want to send a Lei Day card to someone special? The image above comes from AlohaWorld.com and their Shaka Ecard section!)

Ocean Ohana Week at the Maui Ocean Center

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Event: Ocean Ohana week

Seven fun days highlighting “ocean ohana” species found locally in Hawaii’s ocean and to celebrate Family and Members Month. Ocean Ohana week will involve Tide Pool presentations, Face painting, an Airbrush Tattoo station, Hawaiian music by the Kahai’ali’i ohana and a hula presentation by Nawaipunalei Hula Halau. The entire month Members will receive an additional 10% discount on all food and beverage items from the Reef Café, Seascape Ma’alaea Restaurant and all items in the Maui Ocean Center Retail Store.

Where: Maui Ocean Center
Date: April 13 - 19, 2008
Time: 9:00am - 5:00pm
Price: General Admission $24 Adults, $17 Children (3-12), $21 Senior (65+)
Kama’aina $15 Makua, $8 Keiki (3-12), $13 Kupuna (65+)
Call: Kepa Cabanilla-Aricayos, Outside Sales & Promotions Coordinator, 808-270-7089

Night at the Reef

On April 17 aquarium doors re-open at 6:00 pm as Maui Ocean Center celebrates International Year of the Reef with Night at the Reef. The public is invited to visit the aquarium’s Living Reef exhibits after-hours, enjoy pupu and beverages available for purchase, interact with volunteers from local eco-organizations with information on the state of Hawaii’s coral reef eco-systems and view rare footage from Maui Ocean Center’s Coral Spawning event. Admission is $18 for adults with discounts for children, members and kama’aina. Reservations are recommended, call 270-7088.

Soothing sights and smells await you in Upcountry Maui

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As you drive up the Kula Highway (37) into Maui’s Upcountry area, many serene surprises await you from the rural lifestyle to the sweeping views of the coastline to the quiet that you just can’t get closer to the coast. What you’d also get is a tucked away little secret oasis that many people pass without even knowing it. This little piece of eden is called Ali’i Kula Lavender and if you turn left onto 377 from 37 and turn right onto Waipoli Rd, you too can experience this amazing “scentual” spot! One of the last things you expect to smell in Hawaii is lavender. As you’re driving Waipoli Road the scent of the lavender mixes with the scent of the wood in the area making an intoxicating smell that you are tempted to pull off the side of the road and breathe in. As you pull into the gardens, you see that it is the most relaxing place you can find. Perched on the lower portion of what becomes Haleakala, it overlooks all of central Maui and the West Maui Mountains.

A small store with a cheery staff awaits you as you meander in. You soon realize you could easily go broke with all of the wonderful products that are in Ali’i Kula Lavender. The one product I can’t live without is the Lavender Organic Body Butter Creme. It is absolutely luxurious and a little goes a long way so the $17 price tag is worth it. I also have the shampoo and conditioner and the bath salts. The shampoo washes clean and makes your hair squeaky. The condition is a little too heavy for all of my hair so I use it on the ends to keep them healthy. The bath salts are great for getting rid of that dead skin on your legs, feet and elbows. They can get gummy if you leave them by or in the shower so I would suggest storing them in your vanity until you need them. I am anxious to try a lot more of their products too. They even have culinary items for the adventurous!

Not only are the products a source of relaxation as you browse and take in the smells but the surrounding gardens are a sight to see as well. From tightly closed proteas to hydrangeas to wildflowers and of course lavender, there’s a feast for the eyes. Its quite possibly one of the nicest surprises we’ve stumbled upon in our multi-island treks over the past 12 years. There are afternoon teas, tours, workshops and people are even married there if you’re looking for unique, structured experiences. Can’t get to Maui anytime soon? You can shop online and get these great smelling goodies delivered right to your door! We hope you make this beautiful botanical delight a part of your trip to Maui! You’ll be glad you did!

Ali’i Kula Lavender
1100 Waipoli Road
Kula, Maui Hawai’i 96790
phone 808-878-3004
Website: http://www.aliikulalavender.com/default.aspx

Kudos and frustration

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The Kalalau Trail is an 11 mile trail that traverses the north shore of Kauai. Many day hikers will hike in the first four miles to Hanakapi’ai Valley waterfall as this is as far as you can go without a permit. Over the years, the trail has gone into serious disrepair including spots where it was virtually impassable. I was pleased to see this article in The Garden Island newspaper about how local Bill Summers was affected by a family hiking on the trail ahead of him that literally had to collect themselves after getting across a tight section of the trail. Summers, tired of waiting for the DLNR to do anything about it began hiking out to the trail with minimal tools and buckets and began widening/defining the trail on his own to make it safer for hikers. The more he hiked, the more he saw other areas in disrepair.

Here’s where the frustration comes in…IF the DLNR catches anyone making improvements on the trail, they will be cited!! Yeah. Well I know that the goverment is riddled with red tape and the money to complete the first two miles is being released in the beginning of next year but its pretty sad when you have people wanting to improve this natural wonder and your idea is to cite them for doing so! Now they did say they want to work with him because of the job he’s doing and I’m assuming they’re not making trolling the trail a top priority but the thought of citing people is ludacris.

With tourism being a main source of revenue for the islands, you would think that places like the Kalalau Trail and the Pu’u O Kila lookout at the Kalalau Valley, both of which are heavily advertised to potential visitors would be a main priority for funding. Yet both are in major states of disrepair. What is wrong with this picture??

So to the Bill Summers’ out there, the people who don’t wait for someone else to do it… a big mahalo to you. Let’s hope your acts of aloha make the government take notice in a GOOD way and restore the access to these natural places of beauty for all to enjoy for years to come! (Pictures below courtesy of Kalalautrail.com)

Halloween Chills, Thrills and Gills at Maui Ocean Center

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If you’re going to be on Maui from the 24th to the 31st then you want to check out the Maui Ocean Center! Keiki oriented activities including exhibits and even a sleepover! Make this Halloween a special one for the whole family!

For more information on all of the activities offered, click here.

Monk Seal Watch and Training

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October 11 and 20

Are you interested in supporting monk seal conservation? If so, join NOAA and the Division of Aquatic Resources for the 2nd Semi-Annual Hawaiian Monk Seal Count. Training for the count will be held at Maui Ocean Center on October 11 and the count will be held statewide on Saturday, October 20! On April 28, an astonishing 41 seals were counted statewide!

Monk Seal Watch Training:
Date: Thursday, October 11
Time: 6:00-7:00pm
Admission: Free
Contact: (808) 292-2372 or mauimonksealwatch@yahoo.com

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